


That Which Once Was

by Aggression



Series: The Ties that Bind [1]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gladiatorial rings, Multi, Oral Sex, Polyamory, Sticky Sexual Interfacing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-30 22:58:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3955108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aggression/pseuds/Aggression
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An archivist meets a gladiator through the Grid. It's an unlikely encounter that leads to a relationship, personal growth, and the beginnings of a Cause that will shatter the world they know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Which Once Was

**Author's Note:**

> Holy crap okay this was supposed to be a one shot but it's now a two shot because I lost control of it. My first Transformers fic so please let me know what you think!! Feedback and criticism is always welcome, and with this being my first foray into the fandom it'd actually be amazing to receive. Also I'm really out of practice with smut so especially if you have something to say about that go right ahead! I'm also still unsure what I should be tagging so if you think I need to add something let me know.
> 
> This is a AU that's still fairly based within canon; it started as a "what if" that I ran away with. The canon I do know is the Prime cartoon, but I did look at wiki articles and took some inspiration of what I could find for descriptions and and some plot points from the novels. This also is setting everything up for a second fic, hence why it's a series aha. 
> 
> Also, shout out to Michelle who's been listening to me complain and fight with this for how long. She's amazing.

If one managed to ask one of the first Decepticons, they would paint a different picture than that of their current high command. Some of those Decepticons had technically been neutrals at the time, but arguing that would lead to a long discussion over sympathies and circumstances that no longer mattered.

They would tell you (if they felt like it, many didn’t talk about it for various reasons) that Megatron had always been the leader. His charisma had been what banded the Decepticons together. Soundwave had always been the Third in Command, a fixed point in their cause. He quickly caught on to the logistics of running an uprising.

The place of Second in Command, though, had some history behind it.

Mostly, it had been Starscream’s but even Shockwave held it briefly before the Seeker had made the position a condition for his allegiance. The scientist made no fuss about stepping down. It was the logical choice after all.  They had needed Starscream’s Seekers.

Originally, though, it had been another mech’s position, even if Starscream loathed to admit it. That was an extremely sore topic among the Decepticons, one very few dared to bring up.

One did not mention that the original Second in Command had been Orion Pax.

 

* * *

 

Their first meeting had been a confrontation.

Orion Pax stood out in Kaon.

He had been here a couple times already, but that was a fact that would always be true. He was not bothered by this, not with the silent, loaming threat that was Soundwave behind him. Rather, the gladiator himself was the biggest worry. Soundwave was currently “escorting” him out of the city, but Orion assumed he was being sized up.

It was only because of his conversations with Megatronus that he even bothered think that now. Orion was learning quickly, becoming vastly more aware of everything around him. Megatronus even wanted him to learn self defence. His naivety was being lost as his optics opened to the world around him.

Naivety was not a quality that lasted long in a mech whom saw Kaon for what it was.

So, Orion Pax turned around , looking Soundwave straight in the face mask. "I don't care if you have a problem with me, I just need to know of we'll be able to work with each other."

Orion forced himself not to move, not to fidget, as Soundwave stayed silent. He squeaked when, after a few moments, he found himself pushed up against a wall. There was one arm pushed up against his chest, the edge of Soundwave's wide plating digging into his neck cables. His servos instinctively went up to this arm to try and alleviate the pressure. It distracted him from the arm steadying his waist, and Soundwave took the opportunity to position his legs between Orion's own so that he couldn't kick out or gain any leverage.

Within a matter of seconds he was trapped, and rather helpless. Begrudgingly, he thought of the training he was soon to be getting. Not that it would matter against a mech like Soundwave.

Orion squirmed, huffing when he couldn't get Soundwave to move. He looked up, staring the other mech in the mask, trying (but only partially succeeding) to hide the discomfort evident on his face.

He couldn't stop the panic that hit him when he felt _something_ brush against his mind. There were many rumours in Kaon about Soundwave's telepathy, but no one could yet confirm it.

Orion Pax would learn at a later date that was because Soundwave was so talented that the average mech didn't know that he was connected to them unless he wanted them to.

At this moment though, he began to thrash at the connection and at the mech holding him down. It did nothing. Soundwave had the full advantage, and continued to silently loom now on top of Orion.

"Well?" Orion shouted, something that was extremely rare for the archivist to do.

There was a clang as Orion landed on the ground. Soundwave stepped back, leaving the mech on the ground. "You're fine for now."

Megatronus was unsettled when Orion told him about it later. He assured Orion that he shouldn't have any more problems with Soundwave if that was how it ended. Soundwave might have been a little odd, but he was still the mech Megatronus most trusted.

That first meeting had been awkward, startling, intrusive, and was something Orion would have liked to scrub from his memories. Afterwards though, Orion found that himself and Soundwave worked rather well together. Orion Pax's organizational skills complimented Soundwave's ability to gather information. Soundwave’s symbiotes began to teach Orion the finer points of gossiping and rumours, since his job allowed for many types of information to come his way. (Which Orion took as a good sign. At least the mech wasn't ignoring him.)

The symbiotes were something Orion took time getting used to. Hostmechs were always part of the lower castes, and Orion was not surprised to see one end up as a gladiator. Symbiotes were viewed as beneath Cybertronians as whole within society, and their hosts were viewed as lesser because of it.

Symbiotes were attached to their master, but that didn't guarantee them to be exactly like them. Frenzy and Rumble's drills and pile drivers were more geared towards construction and the like, but it was obvious that Soundwave's specialty was communication once one saw past his gladiator status. It was because of that that host and symbiotes were hard to fit into the caste system, and they were scorned because of it.

That didn't mean they could not learn and adapt though. Soundwave's symbiotes were gladly spies and information gatherers for their host, something they had learned from him. What they were now teaching to Orion.

He never would have thought he would need to use the pointers he had been given so soon.

Orion kept regular contact with Megatronus, and was beginning to talk more and more with the symbiotes. Soundwave showed his confusion when Orion contacted him directly.

Soundwave would never admit to the little bit of worry that automatically entered him when Orion didn’t bother with a greeting.

“Are your symbiotes with you?”

“Negative.”

He was straight to the point. “They’re going to revisit hostmech legislation.”

Even through a video call the rage that rippled through Soundwave was visible. As empathetic as Orion was, he could barely imagine the other emotions the hostmech was experiencing. Rage, obviously, loathing at the Council and at all those who made habit to look down on his frametype.

And Orion imagined there was fear too; there had to have been. A natural fear born from an instinct to survive. Knowing that survival was most likely to become even harder in daily life must have been suffocating.

Orion realized that it may have been cruel for him to give this warning. “I can’t be sure exactly what they’re going to do. They’re all passing around ideas still.” In reality there were many different angles the Council could play. Hostmechs were almost vilified within society; discrimination against them ran rampant.

They did not fit into the caste system. Their symbiotic units showed a unity that was reviled. They had been slandered for generations, the horrid sentiment rooted within their society.

“I…” Orion had nothing to say. Soundwave would easily be able to inference the different excuses the Council would come up with to crack down on hostmechs harder. And he could not tell him why they were doing so. Pessimistically, he wondered if there even was a reason, one based around the populace as a whole. This could be politicians just playing a game among themselves. Lovers, for example, where always easier targets than a politician themselves.

It sounded cruel, but if one paid attention to rumours even just barely they would know cruelty had become common in their government.

The “why” didn’t really matter. If they wanted something to happen, the Council usually found a way to make it happen, legal or otherwise. The “what”, the “how”, is what mattered. What would Soundwave need to protect him and his symbiotes from and how would they do it. Orion wondered if this is why Soundwave was a gladiator. Most of his activities and life didn’t even operate through legal channels, and that would take some of the force of whatever new legislation was coming off of him.

That didn’t make it any less infuriating though. Soundwave had still yet to say anything, and an awkward silence came between them.

Orion couldn’t find it in himself to break it off, and he did not want to end the call, not yet. He was the one to bring Soundwave this news, having a good idea what if would mean for him, so he would need to see this call through until its end. This was something Soundwave could not run away from, and this call was something Orion could not run away from either.

Soundwave shifted, having come to some conclusion within his thoughts.

“Thank you.”

The call cut off abruptly.

 

* * *

 

“Back on your pedes; let’s go again.”

Orion Pax huffed, rising to his pedes while glaring at the floor. He was becoming well acquainted with it. Megatronus was throwing him roughly to the ground every time he got a hold of him, a clear message of how that was exactly what he was to not let happen.

Really, in the beginning of the lesson he had found Megatronus’ grip to be rather distracting. He hadn’t had the chance to be so close to the gladiator before. Megatronus’ build and demeanor made his strength and confidence apparent, but to experience it first had was also something else.

Megatronus was used to a rough kind of fighting; he had no qualms about where he grabbed his opponents. His servos were ending up _everywhere_ on Orion. It was leading to a few stray thoughts within his processor. The gladiator’s grip was always sure and unhesitating.  He found it utterly alluring.

He _had_ found it utterly alluring. Right now he was annoyed. Even Orion Pax’s patience could come to its end, and he had noticed Soundwave quietly enter the practice room a couple moments ago. He didn't need another mech in the room to witness his failures.

The archivist widened his stance slightly, centering out his weight. He wasn’t actually learning to fight back at the moment, only to defend. He agreed that this was the best way to go about it; that if he could defend himself long enough to find an opening to escape an attack that it would go better than trying to fight someone off. Orion did have a back strut within his body though, and a part of him was resenting his weakness. He wanted to be able to protect himself like Megatronus and Soundwave could, but that was being unfair to himself. They had massive amounts of experience tempered by it being the only way they could survive.

Megatronus came at him again, and soon a resounding _thump_ signalled as he once again hit the floor. He was lasting longer than he had at the beginning, but for now to Orion it felt like he was making no progress at all.

If his face was anything to go by, Megatronus would also like to see more growth from him. He was losing his student though, Orion’s frustration heading towards a point where to continue on at the moment would be useless, even counterproductive.

Soundwave stepped in. The hostmech held out a servo, helping Orion back to his pedes. He motioned the other off the mats, Orion giving him an inquisitive look before complying.

Soundwave was still a large mech himself, though slightly smaller than Megatronus. Orion was about to get a demonstration of where Megatronus revelled in his power and strength, Soundwave's skill lied in his movement and speed.

Megatronus attacked Soundwave as he had been attacking Orion for the whole lesson. Soundwave’s response was fluid. He read Megatronus’ attacks, moving backwards, sideways, not blocking but deflecting Megatronus and using the momentum to keep himself from the other’s hold. When novels spoke of fighting with grace Orion realized this is what they were talking about, and Soundwave was not even taking the chances he had to fight back.

They continued on, and Orion continued to watch. Mentally, he made notes, realizing that he could defend himself like Soundwave was currently, but that he would need to make adjustments for his smaller frame size. To learn to deflect like the other was going to be the hardest part of this, other than if he was going to get to the point where he could fight back from himself, even just a little. That was a long ways off though.

The two stopped, and Orion took one last crack at it for this session. He landed right back on his aft, of course, but that wasn’t important. What was important was how he already found himself thinking about his actions differently after observing Soundwave for a bit.

Soundwave was back to help them the next day. It was interesting, to see how the teaching styles of the two differed. Megatronus was very hands on, using experience to almost force Orion to learn what he needed. Soundwave was more willing to show him the motions first before having him practice them. Switching between the two of them added another layer of definition to his learning the Orion found himself enjoying, even if he was annoyed at the end of it all.

He also greatly enjoyed the interest Megatronus was showing in him. The gladiator was taking pride in Orion’s improvement even just after those two lessons, giving Orion a wide grin at the end of the second.

Their first interactions through the Grid had been hesitant, impersonal. Orion had been showing interest in Megatronus’ ideals, not knowing much yet about the mech himself. Megatronus had no trust and no sympathy for a middle class mech who could not understand the suffering of his own.

It was getting easier now, but they still found themselves stepping on each other’s pedes every once and awhile. And as they came to know each other more and more each offence became much more minor. They would talk about it for a moment, figure out exactly where the difference between them lied and would move on. Sometimes it did lead to lengthy discussion, but they both enjoyed that.

Being with Megatronus became easy. Megatronus soon saw Orion’s knowledge of documentation and language for its great advantage. Not only was he doing speeches, relying on the spread of his ideals through second-hand recordings and word of mouth, but now he could have them transcribed and edited to his want. Orion was willing, prideful that Megatronus saw value within his expertise. In return, Orion was experiencing life in ways that he had never been able to before.

Though, it was the sum and the learning from those experiences that Orion Pax most valued. Some of the experiences themselves he wished to not live with again.

Orion only went to the gladiatorial rings once, on a day where Megatronus and Soundwave’s matches were back to back. He had no want to visit again.

It had been a sickening experience for him. He had gone to the matches anxious, not only for the bots who he knew fighting but for himself. He was left to find his place among the crowd alone. No one paid him mind, a middle class bot wandering the slums of Kaon may be out of place but even they were not at the gladiatorial rings. There were bots far higher up in society than him there after all.

It was just the thought of it, after how Megatronus had not left him alone so far in his stays. In Iacon he did not venture far even within the city. He was fine to visit the same places and attractions with his friends again and again, and he was content with his job within the Archives. Once, when he was very young, he had been content with experiencing certain aspects of life only through video and written word.

That he was here, standing in the crowd, with a death grip on the railing in front of him to maintain his space and view, could be taken as a sign of his growth. Sheltered life was slowly becoming not enough for him.

Orion had not come to see the whole event, only Soundwave and Megatronus. The ground of the pit was already strewn with ripped, greying armour and dotted with dried and still drying energon. It painted a morbid scene.

The scene was something that could be easily conveyed to others, the atmosphere… That was something else. Even now, when there was nothing going on there still was a low buzz of excitement and anticipation in the air. The crowd was _waiting_ and one could feel it. A low murmur filled the stadium, even and steady as conversation flowed to fill in time. Wealthier mechs entertained themselves with a variety of drink, and some discreetly with drugs, for even here there was a need for them to save face. The lowliest of mecha were scrounging for scraps, waiting for events to resume to hopefully pilfer spoils from those who were unaware.

The crowd was a shifting mass, with a weird unity that made one think it was its own entity. Mecha quietly slipping or forcing their way through the crowd, shifting plating and pedes adding to its low constant sound. Bots were yelling, joking, placing their bets. It made Orion uneasy as a fight broke out near him, but it was quickly dispelled, forced apart by those around them who did not want to put up with it. Bots that were paying an absent-minded attention to the ring reminded Orion of bots waiting for a lecture to begin. To think of comparisons to his everyday life made it all very odd to him.

A bot stepped out of the shadows lining the ring and the crowd quieted, its attention shifting to them. A femme, her voice loud, crystal clear, attention grabbing. “The break is at its end! We continue on with the matches! First up, a hostmech you love and know. Soundwave! Against a newcomer- Avalanche!”

The crowd roared; Orion’s grip on the rail tightened as he felt it press against his back. The femme had already retreated, now two mechs took the floor. Soundwave walked out with even steps, head facing forward towards his opponent.

Avalanche was a giant, even bigger than Megatronus. He entered with confidence in his steps, but small movements of his head betrayed a distraction caused by the crowd around him. In his inexperience he could not tune them out like the other.

Orion wondered if there had been some signal he had missed, or maybe them entering the ring was the beginning of their match. Avalanche made the first move, rushing Soundwave. Even Orion could see the mistake in that, as Soundwave danced away from the other, two symbiotes detaching themselves from his arms, where they blended in seamlessly with Soundwave’s plating except for Frenzy’s blue and Rumble’s light purple accents. Frenzy and Rumble attached to the inside of Soundwave’s arms, where they could bring their tools into use for their master while attached by transforming and placing them within Soundwave’s own servos. This time though they detached effortlessly, weaving themselves through Avalanche’s legs to the other side.

Avalanche paused, before rushing Soundwave again. For a moment it looked like another useless attack but the Orion realized Avalanche was forcing Soundwave to group back up with his symbiotes. The hostmech did, swiping at the other as he went by.

Orion never thought of Soundwave’s digits being claws, not like he did with Megatronus’. They were spindly, appearing akin to instruments instead of weapons. After the match Orion would learn that was because Soundwave had saved to have covers installed into the fine plating so that he could hide their sharpened edges when he was not fighting. It made the digits easy to break, but Soundwave wanted to keep them the same as much as he could. But even up in the higher stands where Orion was the blue glow of energon was a bright contrast against the grey ground. The crowd roared, a beast scenting first blood, no matter how slight.  

A minute movement; Avalanche’s head tilted as he was distracted by the crowd. Orion could understand why. The crowd was infectious. He found himself leaning forward, optics following the match as rapt as everyone else around him. He was aware of its pull and sway, most of the group cheering Soundwave on, wanting to see the veteran come out on top again. A few cheered for the rookie, wanting the thrill of an utter upset.

The twin’s saw their chance within the mech’s distraction, attacking his legs, going for the seams within the joints. Avalanche rolled, avoiding Soundwave’s next attack and forcing Frenzy to dodge himself. Avalanche lashed out as he came out of it, batting Frenzy before he could get up and out of his reach.

Another roar from the crowd, some bots’ arms pumping up into the air. Belatedly, Orion realized he had yelled with them, out of fear and angry for Frenzy.

Soundwave responded like a fury, consuming Avalanche’s attention while Rumble helped his brother back to his pedes. One of Frenzy’s arms hung limply at his side as they moved away from Avalanche. The crowd was ecstatic while Soundwave attacked, both jeering and supporting him at the same time. The two mechs continued to fight, until Rumble left his brother when spotting his opportunity, transforming one of his arms into a piledriver and swinging into one of Avalanche’s knees as it activated. The mech howled in pain, and Soundwave reached into with a servos to tear at cabling in the underside of his shoulder joint.

Screaming from the crowd drowned out Avalanche’s own screams of pain. The giant mech was now forced to kneel with an injured arm to match Frenzy’s. Soundwave swung himself onto the other’s back, stepping with one pede into the mech’s bad knee as both servos dug their digits into the shoulder cabling near the neck. Soundwave’s own agile cables came out of their casing, winding themselves around Avalanche. One squeezed the injured shoulder, and Orion could imagine the mechs whimpers from the look on Avalanche’s faceplate. They both continued on to bind his arms to his torso, immobilizing him almost completely.

Another howl of pain rang through the air as Soundwave began to electrocute him, and Avalanche was left with no way to fight back.

Orion’s frame was buzzing with excitement from the display. The crowd took up another call, as if hailing him, clapping and noise-making in the ways that their alt-modes allowed for it. Orion found himself calm for a moment, as Soundwave gazed up to the crowd, the only time he had acknowledged them so far.

He was waiting, and Orion soon realized why.

It started with one mech, and then was taken up by others with a blistering pace. The crowd chanted “Kill! Kill!” at even intervals, from lowly mecha at the top of the stands to the wealthy at the bottom.

That was the law of this stadium. No one mech decided the outcome of the match; it was left to the whim of the crowd. There were ways to influence it, of course. Placing bought mechs to guide the crowd to a desired outcome, but that was needed less often than one might assume. That was only done to protect mecha that were an assured good investment.

Avalanche though, had come as a nobody. His performance had been unimpressive, even if he hadn’t been expected to win. For him there was no love from the crowd.

They chanted for what to Orion felt like an eternity. Then, Soundwave looked down, back away from them and to the mech in his grasp and the crowd screamed like the screech of a rabid Insecticon. He moved his servos from the back of Avalanche’s neck to the front, placing the digits on each side before jerking his arms back, running their edges along the energon lines. The lifeblood glowed blue as it pour down the mech’s front as he slumped over to bleed out.

Soundwave released the body, cabling spirally back into himself. Rumble and Frenzy trotted up beside him, neither reattaching themselves to their master. That was better for Frenzy with his injury. They left the ring, not paying any attention to the crowd screaming for their victory, heading back into the shadows into a door Orion could not see from his position.

Orion Pax both felt jubilation and revulsion. Soundwave was still alive, him and his symobiotes had come out of the match with only one notable injury. But another mech’s frame was greying with death in a puddle of his own energon.

Orion’s tanks churned. He had screamed in victory with the crowd as Soundwave had struck the final blow, caught up in it all.

The excitement died down again. Megatronus’ match was next. Two heavy hitters had been scheduled first to encourage more mecha to be at a majority of the event, even if they didn’t come for the opening stages. Orion was relieved he wouldn’t need to stay long.  

Mecha come out to clear the ring, dragging Avalanche's body out unceremoniously. Everything else was left as it was. The femme came back to start the next match. "Next up: Megatronus versus Doublestrike!"

Doublestrike stepped out a moment before Megatronus. They were both of similar size; the main difference being that Doublestrike came out with two swords strapped to his back. He must have taken his name from his fighting style.

Most of the crowd was watching Megatronus though, and Orion knew he knew it. The silver mech flashed his arm outwards, deploying his built-in sword in the same instance as a display. Orion revisited the urge to snort, a small smile briefly on his face. Between that and his other arm with his shield strapped onto it, Megatronus reminded him of a Seeker displaying its wings.

Doublestrike replied in kind, pulling out his two swords. Orion did not know the types of the swords, he only could recognize that they were different. Doublestrike's were thinner, slightly longer, obviously suited for a different style of fighting than Megatronus' own. This match would be a test of skills between the two mechs, not a brutal defeat like the previous.

Now this was a _match_. Both mechs whirled around each other, steps balanced and measured as they entered an ebb and flow of attack and defend. Orion was surprised with how Megatronus was fighting. He was mostly defending, using his shield to negate most of the attacks from Doublestrike, who moved with speedy, deft jabs and slices.

So it went on for a bit. Then there was a _clang_ as Megatronus lunged forward at an opening, slamming his shield up into the other mech’s face. Doublestrike’s left servo’s sword went flying through the air as he was disarmed in his daze. Suddenly, Doublestrike found himself constantly defending, Megatronus herding him around the area as his opponent began to lose ground. They were almost to the wall and Doublestrike was forced to take a risk, attempting to roll away from Megatronus. Megatronus slashed, missed, and Doublestrike gained his positioning.

This was his chance to attack, but Megatronus was ready, spinning around to catch it on his shield. They quickly got back to it, Doublestrike once again losing ground. They did not make it across the area, as Megatronus finally managed to unbalance the other, batting away the other’s sword with his shield as he stabbed his opponent in the thigh.  

The crowd screamed; Megatronus removed his sword while kicking Doublestrike to the ground. Standing over top of him, like Soundwave, Megatronus waited. The crowd was different this time, clapping more so for the victory than yelling. Again, they began to chant. This time though, “Megatronus!” instead of “Kill!”. They celebrated his victory instead of the other mech’s defeat.

Megatronus showboated once last time, leaving Doublestrike on the ground as he left the ring. The other was slow to his pedes, hobbling out of the ring with his shame. Now, Orion would need to wait for a bit, and then he would leave with the others. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself though, becoming more acutely aware of the crowd as there was no longer a nervous worry for his friends to distract him.

While watching Megatronus and Soundwave he could distract himself from it all, but now this next match was of no matter to him. To one who found this all interesting it would be good entertainment. A femme fighting a mech twice her height and width, but it wasn’t enough for Orion. He watched the match, followed the femme as she skillfully took down her opponent, using his own attacks and momentum against him. Part of him recognized that this was the match he should have been watching most closely- this is how _he_ would fight, not like his two friends.

But the crowd was pressing around him. It was loud and annoying and Orion could only keep half a processor on the match. It was a relief when Lazerbeak came. The left the stands, the crowd roaring for the femme’s victory.

  

* * *

 

“So you’re Megatron now?” Orion Pax glanced up at his friend, smirking. Soundwave let out a quiet huff, one that Orion knew was an expression of amusement. If it wasn’t the habit of a deadly gladiator one might call it endearing.

What was adorable was the way Megatronus’ faceplates scrunched up. “It wasn’t my idea.”

It hadn’t been. It had been spur of the moment, the whim of the crowd. A moment of victory at his last match and Megatronus had found himself rebranded. And it certainly was sticking.

Orion still grinned, shrugging slightly. Megatronus _harrumphed_. “And if I am?”

Soundwave shook his head, reaching over the table to flick Megatronus. It was a small diner, middle of the day, energon clasped in their servos as they sat and talked. Megatronus only scowled at Soundwave in returned. “I don’t think we could get them to stop anyways. A lot of mecha are using it now.”

Orion hummed. “You don’t have Megatronus on any of your actually legal documentation do you?”

“No, just my serial number from when I was a miner.”

“Good. Then this name change won’t cause us any extra problems legally then.”

“As if that matters.”

Soundwave always spoke quietly in public, but both of his companions could make out his low tones. “We do need to be able to get into Iacon eventually. Orion will need our documents for that.”

Orion nodded, eyeing Soundwave. “And yours?”

“Are fine.”

Orion left it at that, trusting that Soundwave knew what he needed. “It’s too bad we can’t get you to do more travelling. People do want to listen to what you have to say.”

Rolling his optics, Megatronus smirked. “That’s what your transcribing is for.”

“I will get you writing yourself eventually.”

“Key word “eventually”.”

“You have a lot to learn about politicking and unfortunately literacy will be a factor.”

“It’s not like I’m actually illiterate, it’s just my processors don’t have the same vocabulary as yours.”

Orion felt guilty, even if that was something out of his control. “I do need to get you updates for them eventually though. They’ll try to trap you with words if I don’t.”

Megatronus was disgruntled; Orion knew he didn’t like acknowledging his weaknesses. The archivist changed the subject. “Anyways, actually meeting mecha is going to be important too.”

“I already do.”

“Mecha from _outside_ Kaon. If we have a more diverse group agreeing with us it should give it more legitimacy.”

Soundwave set his empty cube in the center of the table. “We have you.”

“You’ll need more than just me!”

Megatronus leaned forward. “You’ve barely done anything outside of your caste and social status. Where are you getting these ideas?”

“Unlike you two I research. I’ve been digging way back, when most cities were autonomous. Their leaders would spend sometimes even years to get others to join in on a proposal that affected the whole of Cybertron. They needed wide ranged support for almost anything like that to go through. From what I remember myself it’s not completely accurate but it’s useful.”

Both mechs turned to Orion, bewildered. Megatronus’ voice was disbelieving.”How old are you?”

“Very old. Let’s leave it at that.”

Soundwave was cordial and left it. “You need to start meeting people too.”

“Huh?” Orion’s optics widened.

“Soundwave’s right.” Megatronus took the chance to look smug. “You need to meet mechs around Kaon. People me and Soundwave already work with and deal with. You certainly need to meet Shockwave.”

Orion wouldn’t admit that the prospect somewhat intimidated him. He could see the value in knowing the same people as the gladiators. It would give them something more to talk about anyways. No matter what though he was a very private mech, one who was fine with a small social circle. Reaching out to Megatronus through the Grid had been rather uncharacteristic for him. He only had because the gladiator’s ideas had been refreshing, so far away from the information he sorted through every day. Partly it was because of their source, and partly because it was simply ideas that others may have also had, but would never so confidently voice.

He nodded. He told himself this was something he could do. “Fine. But then I’m giving you guys history lessons and you need to pay attention.”

Hearing their groans was amusing.

 

* * *

 

It was with ease now the three of them spoke. Planning, wondering, hoping to find their goals realized one day. There was a lot to do to get there 

The prospect of fighting, of violence and war, still chafed Orion, but they would plan for everything. It was what some mecha thought was the only option.

He loathed to admit it, but if there wasn't changes soon it was the outcome Orion expected.

"There are multiple cities that could quickly come to support us. Kaon and Tarn for example. They would be ours to used as bases." Their movement and ideals were slowly spreading. There was no name yet, but there was a beginning of a _Cause_ , and with this they began to think bigger, imagine even more for a movement that was widespread. Large growth was attainable. Strong support was attainable.

"What other cities do you think could be easily convinced?"

Megatronus and Soundwave began discussing, listing cities with know energon shortages and other grievances with the current government. Orion listened, waiting a little bit before interrupting. "What about Vos?"

Soundwave inclined his head towards Orion. "Seekers are generally uninterested in wide spread Cybertronian politics."

Megatronus nodded. "If we could get them to join us though..."

"You need Starscream for that." Orion brought up a picture of the Seeker on a datapad. "I've been meaning to mention him to you anyways."

The datapad showed a Seeker standing in front of a unit of Seekers. He was obviously built for speed, a thin mech all streamlined and angles. "He's the most vocal of the Air Commanders; also one of the most respected. He's been harassing the Council about current assignments and energon rations lately. He's also known for his opinions on Vos' loss of autonomy."

"You think he can convince Vos to join us?" Megatronus eyed the datapad, skepticism on his face.

"If we want Vos he is where we need to start."

"So Pax, do you actually know anything about him?" That was Rumble, detaching himself from his hostmech.

"Yeah, yeah Paxxy. Do we need to pick up your slack?" And there was Frenzy.

The archivist smiled. “He has the respect of his subordinates, but he grates on the nerves of others easily. So, if someone actually _likes_ him is something up in the air. He has two trinemates, Skywarp and Thundercracker. Both of them are gifted; Skywarp can teleport and Thundercracker can create sonic booms.”

Frenzy poked him. “So you are learning some things from us, eh?”

Orion vented. “Starscream’s also a good place to start because he is against the caste system- even if he won’t explicitly say it. I had to go a bit back, but I found source material from Vos before it lost its status as a completely autonomous city-state. They encouraged military training to all citizens, and many were drafted for basic once they had entered adulthood, but after a certain period they were free to pursue a different path. Skywarp has always been military, but Thundercracker was once a flight instructor for younglings, and Starscream was an expert scientist who specialized in xenobiology and biological studies pertaining organic reactions to and uses for energon. Thundercracker is reported to be content with overseeing all flight practices within the Air Forces, but Starscream has been making off servos comments about wanting to return to his studies.”

“The change for Vos was rather recent though wasn’t it?” Orion resisted the urge to smile. Megatronus had been paying attention during the brief chances he was taking to go over recent history with both him and Soundwave.

“Yes, Starscream and his trine would still have been considered very young at the time, but they gained their positions quickly.”

“They must be fairly talented then. Vos joined the Council government because of energon shortages didn’t they?” That was Soundwave this time.

“Yes, but I have been doing some research on that also. There is a possibility that the shortage had been arranged. The Council had been pushing the city-state to join them for a long time before that.”

Megatronus gave a sardonic smirk. “We should speak to Starscream then. Soundwave?”

“Affirmative.”

Starscream met with Megatronus and Soundwave. He showed interest, but made no agreements, didn’t even help them by naming what he would want from joining them. He annoyed them both immensely. He also began to prove himself valuable, by showing the amount of information he had already gathered about them. He bothered to ask where the third member of their inner circle was, starting by specifying a mech that was not lower-caste, but before he had left he had even thrown out Orion Pax’s name.

That made the three of them uneasy. Orion’s existence among their group was not a secret, per se, but they had not throw out his name to most mechs, instead they referred to him as the Archivist. It was just unsettling to realize that they were gaining that much attention from the higher ups of society.

It definitely was unsettling for Orion Pax when he saw Starscream within Iacon’s Archives.

Apparently, the Seeker needed a senior archivist with high clearance to aid him. Orion doubted it was sheer dumb luck that had the Seeker come to the Archives when they were in the middle of shift changes; one that left Orion as the sole high clearance archivist on duty.    

“I need legal documents, archivist. Both blank copies, and transcribed copies from prior agreements.” It was said with a sneer, Starscream’s wings held high as he looked down at Orion Pax. They began walking as Orion took the more specific list from the Seeker in a quick data burst. It was silent, for a bit.

“Urgh, how do you not get bored here? It’s so quiet.”

“Just because it’s quiet does not mean that it’s boring. Other job environments like research labs are also quiet to help work get done.” Orion heard Starscream scoff, but he couldn’t turn around to see the expression on the other’s face.

They entered silence again, until Orion was preparing all of the documents Starscream needed with datapads for the Seeker to take with himself. “Do you have any interest in Vosnian history, archivist?”

“I know some, yes. I was one of the dataclerks to handle a lot of the documentation for the city recently. I specialized in history before coming to work directly under Alpha Trion.”

“Hmmm, well I recommend you look into it more. We Seekers have a history to be proud of, and it’s something I _very much_ cherish.”

Starscream left with that. Orion was beginning to see what Starscream wanted - Vos was the safe guess.

 

* * *

 

Hadeen’s rays had faded from the sky awhile ago, leaving the streets draped in shadows. The lighting was dim in this part of Kaon, being away from the district that contained all of its nightlife. Orion knew he shouldn’t be out. He hadn’t meant to be out this late, but tonight he had finally gotten the chance to visit Kaon’s own archives, and had found them in a disarray when compared to what he was used to. They were smaller, the technology older and not as well maintained as the same older models he had worked on before. While fighting with technology to get the information that he had wanted he had lost track of time.

Megatronus and Soundwave were both busy too, Megatronus meeting with a group of construction workers, Soundwave dealing information. Orion was on his own.

He definitely did not enjoy being out this late and by himself in Kaon. Orion ghosted along quietly, alert to his surroundings. He was walking, as alt mode travel was not as common here as in Iacon. Different parts of the city had different reasons for walking to be the norm. Mecha gathered in similar groups in Kaon. Walking of course, was the only option for some mecha without a vehicular alt mode, as it was not beneficial to waste earnings on transportation. Some sections of the city hadn’t been built to code, making alt mode travel difficult depending on the size of one’s form. So Orion walked, a semblance of fitting in. The street was empty, the only other occupants moving into an alleyway when he had neared them. That did nothing to help his nerves.

His anxiety only grew as he got closer to his destination. The gladiator’s residency was of course, held in one of the rougher parts of an already rough city. Orion left the main road, only a couple more turns until he would be back at Megatronus’ apartment.

It was quick. Something wretched his arm, knocking him off balance as he stumbled into the alleyway he had been passing. He was pushed along deeper into it, struggling to keep his balance.

The lighting of the alleyway was dim, only enough for Orion to make out the three shapes surrounding him.

He barely got a “Help!” out on the comm channel he, Megatronus, and Soundwave used before a servos batted him over his helm.

“Useless Iaconian!”

That was a femme, the biggest of the three. She reached out to wretch his shoulder again. Her servo felt crushing, but Orion ignored the pain as he used the momentum she gave him to try and roll away from his attackers.

He did manage to create some space, but they still had him surrounded. With his back against a wall at least Orion had all three of them in view. It also showed him that the only exit was the way they entered.

The large femme in the middle, two smaller (but still bigger than him) mechs standing on each side. They all stared intently at him, anger in their optics.

“What’s a runt like you doing here?”

“Mech like you doesn’t belong in Kaon.”

“Mech like you doesn’t belong around Megatron.”  

A burst of static came from his vocalizer. He was unsure of how to reply, if there was anything he could say to help his situation. Fear sank into his spark, a heavy feeling as he stared at the bots before him. Anger rolled off them in waves, and it was something he could not understand. He had done them no wrong, had never seen any of them before in his life, and somehow they still manage to hold such vehemence for him.  

He felt pathetic. “I’m sorry… I don’t-”

One lashed out and Orion managed to react. The punch landed on the wall, and Orion shoved the mech away from him while the other was off balance. Luck put the mech into the other, and the femme took a moment to shoot a glance of disdain at them before she turned back to Orion.

“Megatronus is going to get us out of these dumps, but we can’t have an outsider like you messing things up. You have no right to be here.”

“I’m here to help.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. You upper castes are all the same; all about your own ideals. You say you’ll listen to us but you never actually do. We can’t have you around to make things worse.”

There was sense to her words, and Orion could see the two mechs nod in agreement as they picked themselves up. He could also see the look in her faceplate though. Her optics were cold, her mouth sneering and displaying a sharp row of dentae. Her body language was looming; she spoke sense but displayed utter malice.

She was the ring leader, and Orion wondered if the two with her realized what she was intending to do. Orion had a good guess, and his body hummed with energy, fear coursing through him as he realized the danger he was in.

“Can’t have someone like you around; we need to send a message.” That was one of the mechs as he flexed a servo before forming a fist.

“Sending you crawling back to Iacon should send it loud and clear.” The third bot sneered, but in no way as frightening as the femme.

“Who said he’d be going back to Iacon?”

The femme must have not fully explained her intentions to the other two, but that didn’t matter. She was already attacking, and the other two only hesitated for a moment before following.

Orion ducked and weaved and deflected for as long as he could. They were disorganized and were not working together. He felt scrapes and dents slowly collect on his plating, and his shoulder ached, he thought something may have been out of alignment. Pain and feeling was secondary though, what mattered was reacting as he tried to escape.

That was the one thing the three could manage to do. They were having trouble holding him down, but they hadn’t given him a moment to exit the alleyway.

It was three against one though, and Orion could only evade for so long. The femme got a good grip on his bad shoulder, and threw him into the wall again. The two mechs were quick to react this time, and held him down as he yelped in pain.

No one said anything. The femme leered at Orion, her teeth bared in a wide grin as she motioned to punch him.

The blow never landed. A form shot out of the dark, lithe and fast as it slammed into her. The femme squawked indignantly, trying to fight off the cybercat gouging at her face. Lazerbeak and Buzzsaw followed Ravage, tearing into the two bots holding Orion.

The next moments were a flurry of movement. Orion scrambled, feeling something wrap around his waist and panicking until he realized it was one of Soundwave’s cables, pulling him back behind the mech.

Rumble and Frenzy had gone to help Ravage, and between the three of them the large femme was now kneeling on the ground, energon running from multiple wounds. Orion realized with horror the one of the mechs was bleeding out, one of Buzzsaw’s talons catching a main energon line in his throat cabling in their fight. The other had a look of horror to match Orion’s, and was trying to make himself as small as possible as the two cyberhawks watched him.

Soundwave went to the mech first, stopping to stand in front of him. His cabling snaked around the other, holding him down as he used his ability to probe at his processor.

Concrete thoughts were hard for Soundwave to obtain. He could gain impressions, a sense of desires or goals, emotions that when combined with knowledge of certain situations could tell him enough. He was barely with the mech before he let the other go, the two cyberhawks watching over him   

The femme was thrashing, the three symbiotes having trouble keeping her down. Soundwave ensnared her, electricity crackling through his cables as he dug them into her joints. Howling, she continued to fight for a moment more before jerking to a stop. Soundwave checked her mind like the other’s. Orion jumped when his shockers reactivated, getting the femme in the neck this time as she shrieked and writhed.

Orion expected Soundwave to stop. Soon, he could make out the scent of burnt circuitry in the air. Orion realized Soundwave was slowly moving through different seams and joints on her body, without the intent of ending it soon.

“Please stop.”

It was silent for a moment. Soundwave turned back to face Orion, his helm cocking to the side slightly. He studied Orion, before turning back to slice the femme’s throat. Soundwave spoke to his symbiotes through comms for a moment, before sending them all off in different directions, even Ratbat deploying off his master.

The hostmech ignored the mech still left alive on the ground. He reached out, and took Orion home.

Soundwave led Orion to own his rooms, needing to place his servo on the mech’s back to get him moving. Megatronus was still busy with his own meeting with a group of construction workers who had requested to meet after their own shifts had ended. Construction in Kaon would work odd, long shifts, and Megatronus would not be back for awhile.

The archivist was shaken, small vibrations running through his plating, leaving him quietly rattling. He didn't seem to be paying attention much as Soundwave guided him.

Rumble and Frenzy had been sent to go find Megatronus. They would need the distraction the most right now; they couldn't be allowed to do something rash. Waiting for Megatronus would hopefully occupy their time. Soundwave had sent a message to Megatronus to expect them, and the two knew better than to disappoint their leader. The other four symbiotes had been sent out to find just how many bots had their servos in this and if there were any more that needed to be dealt with.

The door to Soundwave’s quarters opened with a grind of metal and he led Orion inside. The archivist entered, pausing just within the room as Soundwave gave him some space. 

It was awkward for a moment when the mech didn’t move. But where a mech like Megatronus would have faltered, unsure of what next step to take, Soundwave at least had an inkling. Unlike what others may have believe, there was at least one caring mechanism in his body, multiple if the six symbiotes were anything to go by.

He reached out, placing a servo on Orion’s shoulder. That got the mechs attention; he jumped staring with wide optics at Soundwave. “Sorry. I…”

Orion looked down at his servos which had started to shake even more. “I- I could have died. They wanted to kill me. They…”

There had been so much more too. Energy still thrumming through him from trying to fight back. Soundwave’s rather sadistic revenge. The dead mech who hadn’t had a chance and the one Soundwave had left alive. _They had wanted to kill him._ It was all too, too much to process at once.

Orion’s vents faltered, not cycling air through themselves properly. Random minute transformation sequences were happening all over his body. Soundwave decided that this needed to stop now.

“You fought well. You saved yourself by buying the time I needed to get to you.”

“If you hadn’t been there I would have been… They would have killed me! I was so useless. I’m really a liability I shouldn’t even be here I-”

With sudden motion Orion found himself lifted, Soundwave quickly carrying him to his berth, cables popping out and winding themselves around Orion’s body, sitting down with the smaller mech curled into his lap. There was another pause, and  then Soundwave reset his vocalizer. “Apologies - used to comforting symbiotes.”

Comforting… now that word hung in the air between them.

Orion decided it was the _right_ word though. He relaxed, panic fading away as he brought a servo to rest on Soundwave’s chassis, subconsciously placing it close to the other bot’s spark.

One might have found it odd how Orion could find comfort with those cables around him. Like tonight, he had seen those cables lead mechs to their death before, not only because of their abilities to bind but also their abilities to shock, leaving mecha at Soundwave’s mercy. But he did find it comforting. They held him tightly, but did not squeeze, as much as a reassuring presence as the heat from Soundwave’s body was. Soundwave’s servos rested on his hip, the thin, knife-like digits laced together and relaxed. They were content to sit there for a bit.

Later, Soundwave would tend to Orion’s injuries. For now the most important thing was to keep the archivist calm, to keep any more panic at bay. Orion’s shoulder was wretched, there were scrapes and dents across his plating but both could wait.

They moved before the symbiotes got back, even finishing tending to Orion’s injuries before they arrived. They got to work as soon as the whole gaggle had returned, information being sorted through the two of them and checked and verified by the other six. Thankfully, it was only that small group that wanted Orion Pax gone.

That didn't wholly pacify Megatronus. Soundwave had found out there were others very uneasy with Orion Pax’s involvement. He thanked Soundwave, and needed reassurance from both of them that everything was fine and had been dealt it.

"You're sure no one else will try this again?" He glanced to Soundwave.

"No, but no mech will ever succeed."

Afterwards, Ravage usually traveled with Orion while he was in Kaon. She herself became rather protective of him, and there was an odd friendship between them. The cybercat found herself enjoying Orion Pax's peaceful nature. It mirrored Soundwave's extremely quiet habits in ways, but was still more open to others than how her host was. It was simply different. And especially different from the natures of the other symbiotes.

That changed was notable, but to those who paid attention the most notable change was how Soundwave himself was with Orion more regularly. More often than not, it was still the group of three of Megatronus, Soundwave, and Orion Pax together in public. Before, when Megatronus had his matches and Orion was in Kaon, the Iaconian mech would squirrel himself away in the gladiator’s quarters. Now, he would be seen with Soundwave while waiting, sometimes going to his quarters instead.

Orion found himself immensely enjoying his time spent with Soundwave. It was different from when he was alone with Megatronus. Megatronus’ presence was simply immense and constant. Orion found himself so attracted to it, even to the point where at times it felt like he could become lost within it. Time spent with Megatronus was spent active. They conversed, the gladiator showed him his city, Orion was learning how to fight and take care of himself, they were always doing something together.

With Soundwave it was different. They were still together, with each other, but they easily settled into their own space. They enjoyed the presence of the other but didn’t need each other’s constant attention. Between them there was a comfortable silence that was relaxing and peaceful.

Moments alone became normal for them. They settled into friendship.

Orion really never found out what changed Soundwave’s mind, what made him come to conclusion he wanted something more. For Orion, it was just something he just noticed happening. It started with their EM fields.

Electromagnetic fields are a lesser form of communication for Cybertronians. Lesser, because one can not convey lingual communication through them. They were more often used to add to what one was saying, to help communicate deep feelings. When they were used alone, it was more so to convey a quick fleeting feeling like annoyance or enjoyment.

They were usually kept closer to a bot’s body, spreading out briefly to get a point across. If left out wide and open, that was seen as something more private, more familiar.

More intimate.

It started one day when they were completely alone. The symbiotes were out; it was just the two of them reading a few historical datapads Orion had brought from Iacon in Soundwave’s quarters, sitting across from each other on the little furniture the gladiator did own. Orion felt the brush of Soundwave’s EM field. It was brief, more a presence than any concrete emotion. He thought it just a rare stray lapse in concentration.

Then there was another, and he glanced to the other mech across from him. Soundwave was still engrossed in his reading, not appearing to be doing anything else at all. Orion faltered, for a klik, unsure of what to do. He eventually replied in kind, sending a shy burst of contentment to the other.

Soundwave returned it, staying in contact longer this time. Slowly they pushed against each other, all the while still reading away. It was not distracting, contentment an easy feeling to process while multitasking. The action of it did take some extra thought, but they were both mechs meant to handle data and multiple streams of it, abet in different ways.  Soon, their fields were not only pushing but intertwining. They even eventually settled together, like everything else slowly was settling between them, and they spent the rest of the day enjoying the feeling of the other.

That was the beginning of Soundwave courting Orion Pax.

They continued to relax as such with the other. The twins commented on it once, but a quick rebuke from Soundwave had them leave it be. The symbiotes even began to brush their own fields with Orion’s, testing him to see how he would accept them, even if Orion did not realize the true reasons for their actions. They were ultimately a packaged deal with their host, and if Soundwave wished to show interest in somebot there were certain responses they had all agreed on. Opinions from them would be greatly important to Soundwave, and if things became serious no decision could be made without them.

Megatronus did not come to notice; it was something purely for the two of them. Orion still found himself enraptured with the charismatic gladiator he had met through the Grid, but Soundwave also was worming his way more and more often into his processor.  

Orion was still unsure of what Soundwave'a intentions were. The hostmech was notoriously private, so Orion had no idea how he acted alone with Megatronus. He did not even know exactly what their relationship was, if they had take the step of being amica endura or if they were just close friends. Intuition was telling Orion that they weren't conjunx endura.

So he was left to guesswork, something that when prospect with intimate relationships made him nervous. In the beginning Orion had no clue to what kind of relationship Soundwave sought from him.

The archivist did possess patience, so he waited.

They were alone again, waiting and resting within Soundwave’s quarters, Megatronus fighting his match for the day. That knowledge adding to everything that was already fueling Orion’s nerves.

Soundwave rested on his bed, not asleep but not doing anything, the same powered down rest that Ravage was so fond of. He was relaxed and Orion could not understand how he could be.

A weld, still raised and discoloured ran a long track across Soundwave’s chassis. A result of the cycle before’s match, where Soundwave had come out victorious, _barely_. The freshly healing scar a reminder. It was by far the worst injury Orion had seen any of his friends receive.  

His optics kept flittering away from his reading and back to it. Unease lay heavy within him as he tried to fight back worry. He had no reason to worry; Soundwave was fine. He had rearranged his schedule to take time to heal. But the wound ran underneath the mech’s spark, too close for comfort in Orion’s opinion even if Soundwave himself had shrugged it off.  

Moments passed and he looked again. Soundwave’s visor glowed lightly, and Orion knew he was looking at him. It made Orion sheepish, embarrassed, but he didn’t look away, just back down to the weld until going back to Soundwave’s visor.

The hostmech’s EM field stretched out, reassuring as it wound around him. Soundwave shifted, sitting on his bed, still looking to Orion and sending invitation to the other through their intertwined fields.

Orion found himself acting before he thought, crossing the room and sitting beside the other on the berth. He was still a bundle of worry, and of a lingering fear of a loss that could of been that he could not dispel. Soundwave cables quietly emerged, wrapping around Orion’s chassis as he ran his own digits along Soundwave’s injury.

It was reassuring. The metal warm and alive underneath his digits, even if it was warped and discoloured. Soundwave’s deep indigo was still present even in the healing metal, if only just a few shades lighter. This close he could easily hear Soundwave’s systems running, minute movements within his mechanisms as he shifted positions, even just slightly. The air whirring through his vents as he quietly expelled it. The hum of his engines.

His digits traced the weld a couple times at an even pace, touch featherlight as he ghosted over its bumps. Soundwave purred, his chassis vibrating. His cabling squeezed Orion lightly, their ends ghosting over the small of the archivist’s back.

It made Orion shudder and close his optics. He opened them again to a quiet _click_.

He didn’t believe it for a moment. Soundwave’s mask had retracted, red optics and a small mouth now very close to Orion’s own faceplate. He couldn’t help it; he stared. Soundwave’s face had been something Orion had stopped considering. The mask had been Soundwave, and that had been fine. A personal choice hid Soundwave’s visage and he would take no offence from that.

He never considered a chance that he might one day actually see Soundwave’s face; especially not by Soundwave’s own decision. But here it was, and here it was getting closer.

Orion was shocked when Soundwave’s lips brushed over his own.The kiss was light, and Soundwave pulled back right afterwards, looking at Orion.    

Orion was still stunned, but leaned forward as Soundwave moved backwards. He glanced at the other, and kissed Soundwave back. Soundwave’s cabling squeezed again as the gladiator pulled him close, a servo guiding Orion’s head as he deepened the kiss.

Shock faded into thrill. Orion Pax had had trysts before, a small amount of flings he could count on one servo. Already this was different. He felt excitement, a warmth filling him.

They had been lying down, facing each other on the berth. Orion servos rested on Soundwave's thin hips, even as the gladiator moved, reaching down to grab Orion’s thighs. They broke apart, Orion gasping as Soundwave ground their pelvic armour together after sneaking his way between his legs.

There was a smirk on his face. "This is alright?"

Orion smiled, small and shy, so much like himself. His voice had a confidence though, and Soundwave’s smirk grew as he got his reply. “Yes!”

The gladiator leaned back down, kissing his lips briefly before he moved on to his neck. Soundwave nibbled at the cabling that shared a title with own but were also different from his unique pair. The average cabling like this wasn't made to be dexterous, instead they were a building block of the frame that could serve various functions. This type all shared a common trait too.

They were sensitive.

Orion moaned, and continued to make quiet noise as Soundwave slid off the berth, pulling Orion closer to the edge as he traveled his way down his chassis. Soundwave's thin digits played with Orion's transformation seams, and the combination was driving him wild.

It had been a very long time since his last interface.

The simple lack of the act was not what was driving Orion's arousement so high. It was the fact that is was Soundwave, for if he wanted this that meant he had the other's respect. It was the fact that the deadly gladiator was moving so gracefully, frustrating as he lightly moved across Orion's chassis and then to his thighs but ignored his interface panel. It left Orion burning with a need and want he had long forgotten.

"Please..."  He moaned out, not any bit ashamed. He was willing to forfeit all control to Soundwave; the other was in control, and that was perfectly fine with Orion. He trusted him.

Finally, Soundwave ran his glossa in one slow swipe across his interface panel. Orion’s venting hitched as the panel snapped back, his spike already half pressurized and his valve beginning to lubricate. He felt a small exhale of air against his valve, and to have Soundwave so close to it was enough to ignore the small flare of embarrassment he had at Soundwave’s amusement.

Soundwave shifted, changing his position so he was kneeling on the berth comfortably and hiking Orion’s legs and hips into the air. Orion rested his legs on Soundwave’s shoulders, knees knocking into Soundwave’s jutting shoulder plating as he tried to open his legs further.

The hostmech leaned down, that glossa returning to Orion’s folds. The archivist sighed, back arching at the stimulation. Soundwave pulled him in closer, glossa moving past the rim of Orion’s valve to begin exploring inside.

Orion moaned, pushing his pedes against Soundwave’s back to pull himself even closer. It felt glorious, the neglected nodes within him singing as Soundwave ran over them. The hostmech’s cabling was still curled around Orion, and he found himself grasping at it to ground himself.

Soundwave continued, switching between delving into Orion’s valve and nipping along its rim. Megatronus’ dentae were a row of sharp edges that could be used in battle, but Orion knew the second Soundwave grazed his along his valve lips that the hostmech’s were more like his own. A blunt set that felt amazing as they ran along the delicate metalmesh, not dangerous even as they pressed against him at a more than light pressure.

Soundwave’s cables continued to move around his body, one even coming to grasp around Orion’s spike. It wound its way along his length, as Soundwave again pushed his glossa into Orion’s valve. He was so _close_ , but at the last second Soundwave pulled back. That cable grasped at the bottom of Orion’s spike, denying him any form of release as it clenched even tighter.

Orion cried out.  “Soundwave please! Please just make me-”

Soundwave shifted his hold again, one servo slipping two digits into Orion’s valve, those nimble, thin digits playing the nodes within it. Soundwave’s own mouth encircled Orion’s outer node, encompassing the small nub and sucking hard.

The cable left the base of Orion’s spike and he came yelling. His own transfluid spilled across his chassis as Soundwave continued to work his valve. Orion Pax was a shuddering mess as he mewled as Soundwave lifted his face from his interface panel. Lubricant was smeared across the gladiator’s faceplate, and Orion felt a heat rising within himself again. A shudder ran through him.

Orion shifted, moving his legs off of Soundwave’s shoulders so he could kiss his lover. He smiled, genuine and satisfied as he grinned. “Please allow me to return the favour.”

He ducked down, kissing along lightly across Soundwave’s interface panel.


End file.
